How the Sixes Became Mr. and Mrs.: The Calm Before the Storm

I suppose it all started on the Wednesday before the wedding. I was taking Thursday and Friday off from work (and then Monday through Thursday the following week), so I was trying very hard to get everything ready for my substitute teacher. My students would be taking their final exams while I was out, so that was a beast to tackle before the wedding madness began.

I had been very diligent in trying to leave as little as possible to do during this final week. I had also gotten a massage on Monday to try to alleviate stress, but I still found myself rushing on Wednesday. After school, I ran over to the med spa to get a hydrafacial (cannot recommend these enough), then back again to werkwerkwerk until I had to pick my parents and sister up from the airport. I left around 6:00 PM to get them, and once they were safely in my little Corolla, we set off to grab a bite and a beer in the suburbs near Ben and me.

Ben joined us at the pub, and we gave my family their gifts—Ralph Lauren scarves! My mom and sister received honeycomb knit scarves in oatmeal and slate, and my dad got one like the above in charcoal. We found a great deal back in March (and bought some for Ben’s mother and best man as well)…little did we know that they would come in so handy. It was 11 degrees Fahrenheit that evening, and my poor little Californian parents were at a loss, to say the least. My dad took off his jacket (that my sister wisely INSISTED he purchase before the trip), and there he was in his usual short-sleeved surf shirt. Some things never change.

I didn’t feel actively nervous at this point, but I didn’t eat much (which was the trend for the next five days, ugh). Nevertheless, my family was happily initiated into the glorious world of true Midwestern cuisine. (There may or may not have been both cheese curds AND “totchos” on the table that night.)

After dinner, we dropped them off at a hotel down the street from our apartment and headed home. Sadly, I was still behind with work and stayed up until midnight grading papers (kill me), but finally called it quits and went to bed. I needed my beauty rest for the bachelorette starting in mere hours, and there were bouquets to make and parents to herd around in the meantime.